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Earnest environmentalist Kai Miethig is shedding light on a lesser-known oasis in Bahrain’s desert kingdom with his first micro-documentary about the treasures and trash to be found in Al Buhair Valley.
The short film, titled we are water – we HUMANS are DESTROYING water, focuses on the area and has been submitted to the We art Water Film Festival, an international short-film competition organised by the We Are Water Foundation.
Kai, who has become one of the loudest voices decrying plastic pollution in the kingdom, told GulfWeekly: “I found out about Buhair Valley not too long ago when my friend, Emilios Themistocleous, sent me some beautiful pictures of it. It’s a beautiful place and I wanted to show pictures of that beauty, alongside the trash that has been dumped there.
“There are more than 50 unique species of birds and animals in this highly unique and diverse oasis. There has been some interest in preserving the area and I wanted to bring more attention to this so we can get support for its preservation.”
The Gulf Daily News reported on Saturday that the area has been cleared of stagnant water following complaints from local residents about mosquitoes, in anticipation of housing units in the area being allotted soon.
While the future of the oasis remains uncertain, area councillor Abdulla Abdullatif had said in March that there were several possibilities being discussed to preserve the natural beauty of the location, including a resort and wildlife sanctuary, hot air balloon rides, outdoor skydiving and possibly a cable car connection.
According to posts made on Instagram, Kai disagreed with the draining of the area, and added: “Humans are doing so much more damage to the area than water, with the amount of trash I noticed dumped at the site.
“There was everything from furniture to construction and food waste, which tarnished the beautiful valley around it.
“It would be wonderful if we can make this a protected area for ecotourism, which people can experience without disturbing nature, which is what I wanted to highlight in this micro-documentary. ”
The three-minute film featuring photographs taken during Kai’s day trip to the area, which will be published once the festival’s panel of judges have judged 30 of the best projects worldwide, making the list available internationally for voting for the audience award.
The We Are Water Foundation was started in 2010 aiming to promote awareness and encourage debate among the public and organisations about the need to create a culture of water, while also working to counter the negative effects of the lack of adequate water resources.
As for Kai, this is the first step of a journey as a documentarian he hopes to undertake, with his eyes set on his next prize – a “Plastic Deserts” film about trash amongst the sand from Dubai to Bahrain. It takes inspiration from award-winning documentary A Plastic Ocean which raised awareness about the impact of plastic on aquatic life.
Follow the project and Kai’s other environmental projects via Instagram: @kaimiethig
